VoIP Solutions for Rural Living: Clear & Reliable Phone Service Over Satellite Internet

Yes, you can use most VoIP plans with satellite internet, but some VoIP plans will eat up your internet data. Most satellite internet customers in the US can get VoIP service with their Viasat or Hughesnet plan, which is what we recommend.

Popular internet phone providers use a significant amount of data with each call. Making a phone call typically uses between 700 MB and 4 GB per hour, depending on the number of people on the call and whether it’s video or voice only. For satellite internet customers with low data caps, this can lead to data overage fees and throttling. Using VoIP for just two hours per week could use up 32 GB of data in a month.

VoIP internet phone plans from Viasat and Hughesnet don’t count calls against your monthly data allotment. These plans offer a separate, unlimited data allotment for VoIP service that’s not tied to your monthly internet data usage plan. That’s why we always recommend Viasat or Hughesnet over any other VoIP provider if you have satellite internet.

There’s one caveat to using VoIP over satellite internet: folks with really slow internet won’t have a good experience. We recommend skipping VoIP if you have internet download speeds of less than 12 Mbps. But as long as your connection speed is high enough, VoIP can let you make and receive clear phone calls using internet data. You can check your connection speed with our 1-minute speed test.

• Saves money when compared to cellular or landline phone plans
• Delivers reliable phone service in areas without cellular coverage
• Offers unlimited local and long-distance service
• Connects remote workers to offices, call centers, and other workplaces seamlessly

Satellite internet providers Viasat and Hughesnet both offer proprietary VoIP service as an add-on with internet plans. These providers allow you to make unlimited calls in the US without using any of your internet plan data. Starlink doesn’t offer its own VoIP service yet, but it has plans to do so.

Hughesnet and Viasat are certainly not the only VoIP providers—there are hundreds of other companies that deliver internet phone service to residential and business customers. Not all of them work with satellite service, though, and most use up a lot of internet data. If you’re going to use satellite internet and VoIP, it usually makes sense to get the service with your satellite internet provider.

With Viasat Voice or Hughesnet Voice, you’ll get the standard array of features. That includes unlimited local and long-distance service within the US and Canada, voicemail, call waiting, 911 emergency service, caller ID, and call forwarding. Here are more specifics on using VoIP with satellite internet.

VoIP over satellite is offered in almost all areas that have internet service. Hughesnet and Viasat don’t offer VoIP service in Hawaii or Alaska, however.

In order to use VoIP services, you need to have an internet plan that delivers download speeds of at least 12 Mbps. Speeds that are consistently slower than 12 Mbps won’t support the transfer of voice data over the internet. Virtually all satellite internet plans deliver speeds fast enough for VoIP, with the exception of a few older legacy plans.

Suppose you’re a Viasat or Hughesnet internet customer and occasionally run out of data. In that case, it’s worth pointing out that service with one of these satellite VoIP providers won’t use any of your internet plan data. So, even if you run out of data and get throttled speeds for part of the month, you can still use your VoIP phone service without any changes.

On the other hand, Skype service plans do use your internet data. Data usage by call varies based on the number of people on the call and whether the video feature is being used. Video uses up a lot more data. Data usage for Skype calls ranges from 700 MB per hour to 4 GB per hour.

VoIP service plans from Viasat and Hughesnet allow you to keep your current phone number and transfer it into a new VoIP plan. You can’t do this with Skype and many other VoIP providers.

You can use almost any type of landline telephone (wired, cordless, etc.) with VoIP service. For the best call clarity, we recommend plugging your landline phone directly into the voice adapter or modem provided by Viasat or Hughesnet.

If you want several phones around the house, get a cordless base station and plug the main base into the voice adapter or modem. A headset plugged in to your computer or modem can also be used to make calls.

You can also use the copper lines in your house to create a wired home network, although this can create background noise and result in lower call quality. If you want to try this, plug the modem or voice adapter into a phone jack and then use any phone jack in your house to connect phones.

Yes, you can use some types of VoIP over satellite broadband internet service, but be careful about data usage since each call may count against your monthly data allotment. Hughesnet Voice and Viasat Voice don’t use any of your internet data allotment, but other VoIP providers like Skype do. Not all VoIP providers work with satellite internet service.

No, Vonage VoIP service doesn’t work with satellite internet. Vonage recommends wired internet services such as cable or DSL.

Yes, most VoIP phone service can be used with regular landline phones, cordless phones, or headsets. You’ll just need to plug the phone in to the router or voice adapter.